Adventurer dies trying to cross Greenland ice cap

LONDON (AP) ó A British adventurer has died and two others suffered frostbite as they tried to cross Greenlandís ice cap on a charity hike, officials said Wednesday.

The British Foreign Office said Philip Goodeve-Docker died and two others on the trek remained hospitalized.

On Friday, the three-man expedition got caught by a strong cold wind that sweeps across the eastern part of the vast icecap, Poul Petersen, a spokesman for the police in Greenland said. A rescue helicopter was not able to reach the men until Saturday because of the bad weather, and on arrival they found that Goodeve-Docker was dead.

The survivors were flown to Britain via Iceland after first being treated at a hospital in Tasiilaq on Greenlandís east coast, 180 kilometers (112 miles) south of the Arctic Circle, Petersen said. Goodeve-Dockerís body was being sent later to Britain, he said.

Goodeve-Docker embarked on the trip to raise money for charity in honor of his grandfather, who died two years ago.

On his website, he described the 500 to 600-kilometer (310 to 370-mile) trek as one of the great polar challenges. The adventurer said he expected the tripís dangers to include polar bears, strong winds, crevasses up to 500 meters (1,650 feet) and temperatures as low as minus 50 Celsius (minus 58 Fahrenheit).